RCOM or 'Realistic' 'Combat' 'Overhaul' 'Mod' is a mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Call of Pripyat that aims to bring in a greater emphasis on realism. Additionally porting 'Clear sky' Levels to 'Call of Pripyat' which have been filled with new A-Life and content.

For those who still track this mod...you probably figured it was dead. It was, and in a sense it still is. I had set my goals very high for a myself. Predator_828 did some great textures (many of which you never say), but my portion of development was too much for me to do by myself. So I'll explain what happened to RCOM, what's going to happen with the work done now, and of course what the plans are for the future of RCOM.

The Past

First off, I'll briefly talk about the work I had finished for the next RCOM release. I had all the CS maps running with the COP storyline. Each one had spawns and bases/traders/techs for its appropriate factions, many smart terrains which I ripped from CS and then converted game logic to so they would work with CoP. I increased the size of almost all smart terrains, and added plenty others with (IMO) much better patrols/guard routes. The hospital and NPP all could be visited and you could return. The NPP had a moving artifacts and a ton of anomalies. Story elements hadn't been added too much, but there were many other things that were half done, or still bugged and a WIP.

I got so much done that its sad to waste it. I would give the unfinished mod for other's to build upon, but quite frankly, there are MANY things that don't work properly, or would require me explaining how I took certain approaches to game logic/file organization/ect. NOTHING is documented, and I already forgot many ways I constructed things. So now I'll bury the past, and talk about the present.

The Present

The scope of RCOM became was too much for me to finish, so I stepped away from it. I just recently decided to check back up on CoP modding, and while it seems there are plenty of mods now adding maps, and great content/gameplay/graphics mods. What I did notice, however, is that doesn't appear to be anything that modifies the gameplay towards a more realistic RCOM type feel. It seems that RCOM still has its own paticular niche in CoP mods, whereas ShoC and CS had more similar mods to mine. I am going to package up and polish the unique parts of RCOM as a standalone mod, with a few hand picked mods in addition that I feel RCOM wouldn't be quite right without. For the most part though, I want the new RCOM to be very focused and actually get done this time, much like the old releases. Here's some current plans for RCOM 2...

- More realistic weapon behavior and performance
- More realistic movement speeds
- AI modified to take advantage of new weapon's behavior
- Gun upgrades replaced by gun modifications, a give and get system
- Added effects upon getting shot and dying, taking into account damage and location of hit
- Diversity of skill and fighting style amongst different factions and ranks
- Inventory restricted by size as well as weight
- Reworking of armor system for different armors/ammo types
- Whatever else I'm forgetting

The reason for that is because I want this mod to focus on its namesake; Realistic Combat Overhaul. There are plenty of other mods that do other things very well, so there is no need for me to do it. I'm sure if RCOM is good enough for people to need to play it with those other mods, they'll merge them.

The Future

I have no modding plans set in stone after I release the new vision for RCOM 2.0. If it is well received and there's a demand for it, I may seek out working with other's as part of a mod team, or maybe I'll just stop modding STALKER after its done and hope the series isn't dead yet. I just know one thing for sure, and that's that I don't want to waste my time building a mod that's scope is beyond what I can commit to.